Husband charged with murder, USS Gerald R. Ford redeployed, DHS shutdown looms: Sunrise Brief

TOP STORIES: Husband charged with murder, USS Gerald R. Ford redeployed, DHS shutdown looms

1. Norfolk police now believe Lina Guerra, the 39-year-old woman found dead nearly a week after she was reported missing, was killed by her husband, David Varela.

   Husband charged with murder of 39-year-old Lina Guerra in Norfolk not in police custody

   Varela, 38, is charged with first-degree murder and is not in police custody, according to Norfolk police. Guerra’s death was ruled a homicide on Wednesday. Her family confirmed to News 3 that Guerra and Varela were married. Guerra’s body was discovered in a residence in the 300 block of East Main Street in Norfolk on Tuesday; a neighbor confirmed Guerra and Varela lived in the Icon apartment building.

   Speaking with News 3 Wednesday through a translator, Paola Ramirez, who is married to Guerra’s brother and lives in Colombia, said Varela was a jealous husband. The family says Varela wouldn’t let her work, wouldn’t let her have friends, wouldn’t let her study and wouldn’t let her go out alone.

   Guerra’s family says she was empathetic, loving, and always worried about others.
   “Lina was the pillar of our family,” Ramirez said. “She put others above herself. She was very loved and adventurous, hardworking, very humble.”

   They said the couple met in Miami in 2015 when she was working as a waitress and he was the cook. He then joined the U.S. Navy. News 3 did not get direct confirmation from the Navy about Varela's service, but NCIS did confirm they are assisting Norfolk police in the investigation.
   

2. The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its escort ships are expected to head from the Caribbean to the Middle East, three U.S. officials told CBS News.

   Norfolk-based USS Gerald R. Ford expected to head to Middle East: CBS

   The Ford — which is the Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier — is set to join the USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group, which arrived in the Middle East late last month. The region is overseen by the U.S. military's Central Command.

   The planned deployment comes as President Trump presses Iran to strike a nuclear deal, threatening military action against Iran if it doesn't agree to curb its nuclear program. The president also pressured Iran over its violent crackdown on anti-regime protesters last month. Representatives from Iran and the U.S. held indirect talks in Oman last week; officials from both countries said the talks went well and that negotiations would continue.

   The Ford carrier strike group has been in the Caribbean region since November, part of a broader military buildup near Venezuela. American forces in that region have conducted dozens of strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats and, last month, captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
   

3. Lawmakers on Thursday failed to reach a funding agreement for the Department of Homeland Security, setting up a partial government shutdown that would take effect Friday at midnight.

   DHS funding threatened amid looming shutdown, Democrats demand regulations for federal agents

   Congress has not set any more votes on funding this week and is scheduled to leave Washington for the next week.

   Some members will travel to the Munich Security Conference. GOP leadership could call members back to DC with notice next week - but it's not clear if there will even be an agreement to vote on.

   Senate and White House negotiators also failed to reach common ground on funding plans. Democratic Senators blasted the White House for refusing to agree to "common sense" reforms to ICE.

   A shutdown affecting DHS could furlough some employees or require them to work without pay. Lawmakers have said workers would continue to receive paychecks for several weeks, but without a definite agreement for funding that runway may expire.
   Affected agencies would include the Transportation and Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and the U.S. Secret Service.
   

This morning's weather: Sunny & chilly today, warmer tomorrow, soggy Sunday

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says another sunny and chilly day today with highs in the low 40s, but not as breezy as yesterday. Expect clear skies with lows dropping to the 20s again overnight.

For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.

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